COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – On a 4-1 vote, the CBPU Board of Directors approved a settlement agreement Wednesday night in regards to a gender discrimination federal civil rights lawsuit filed in January of 2024 by former Coldwater Board of Public Utilities employee Jodi Shook Beckhusen.
The action came after the board met in closed session to discuss the matter for about a half hour.
The Coldwater City Council approved the settlement agreement last Monday. Details of the agreement have not been made public by either side.
Beckhusen filed the complaint alleging a hostile work environment and a retaliatory termination about 14 months after she was fired as the Customer Service Manager for the CBPU. The CBPU, the City of Coldwater and CBPU Director Paul Jakubczak were named as defendants.
The lawsuit claimed that the treatment she received led to anxiety and suffering. She was seeking damages including lost wages, mental anguish and emotional distress.
What was called a work place complaint from Beckhusen led to the CBPU Board of Directors holding an executive session during their November 2022 meeting that lasted for almost an hour and 20 minutes. The closed session was not on the original agenda that night but was requested by Jakubczak.
After coming out of the closed session, the board voted that the matter be brought to a close and no further action be taken because they felt at the time that the allegations had not been substantiated.
Beckhusen was terminated from her job at the CBPU later that month.
Comments